Connecting to Community

April 28, 2015

I was having coffee with an acquaintance of mine recently and I was commenting that since moving to our new city, I haven’t been connecting to any kind of community here (mainly due to the fact that I haven’t had my feet on the ground here long enough!). I noted that it seems to get harder as we get older, especially for those of us living more nomadic forms of existence on this planet.

It can be challenging to make a true connection with someone, especially when you are new to an area. For a while, I was finding the 30-second conversations with the barista at my local coffee shop on the corner to be the most engaging part of my day!

That being said, efforts must be made to connect, because we as humans are designed to connect to one another. Our bodies crave conversation, support, and laughter. Even for those of us who are the most introverted need a little face time every now and then to feel that sense of belonging to something bigger. Ever wonder why acro-yoga is just so. much. FUN?

And, that’s why I love yoga communities.

When we live yoga, we find community and connection everywhere. We feel it, whether it is connecting to a post or picture online, walking into a studio for a class, or attending a workshop or festival. We feel it when we make eye contact with others on the street or when we make eye contact with ourselves in the mirror in the morning. We feel it when we take time to really listen to our loved ones and when we tell others our story.

Our community is within us and outside of us. It is everywhere – this energetic fabric that ensures we are never alone and that we always have a space where we belong.

Yoga has shown up for me in some random ways since the beginning of the year…it IS the 30-second conversation with my barista and the way the little birds gather together in community in the tree out front of our building. It is being invited to a friend’s house for a meal and conversation just as much as it is when I work from home and update social media. It is the walks I take in our neighbourhood to absorb nature and the walks through our market to pick out produce. Our yoga community is in all of these wonderful and unexpected places.

We just have to remember to look for it and know that we are an integral piece of our community.

Speaking of community…

Join me on the mat Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Dragon Arts Collective, a community of healers, teachers, and all-around awesome human beings who are trying to make the world a better place! My classes here are donation based. For more information, click here!

I’ll also be joining the yoga community at the upcoming Prairie Love Yoga Festival in September! I’ll be talking about yoga and social activism while connecting with you on the mat! For more details and to register, click here!